Heteronormativity In Canadian Youth

In modern day Canadian society the LGBTQ youth face many inequalities that we as the heterosexual community do not experience (Kennedy). Due to the supremacist (supremacy of a particular group) belief that heterosexuality is the only acceptable sexual orientation, the LGBTQ youth are marginalized by the heterosexual community (the center) (Nussbaum). For centuries heteronormativity, the belief that heterosexuality is the only sexuality and it is the normal sexuality, has oppressed those who do not identify with heterosexuality (Nussbaum). One of the biggest factors that propelled the belief of heteronormativity is religion (Masci and Lipka). Historically, mainstream religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Catholicism, Hinduism,
(Kennedy). Although we do not know how many of these youth identify as LGBTQ, it is a well-known fact that the rate of suicide, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts is disproportionate amongst the LGBTQ youth when compared to the heterosexual youth (Kennedy). The LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to commit suicide in comparison to the heterosexual youth (Kennedy). Canadian statistics reveal that about thirty-three percent of Canadian LGB youth have attempted suicide, forty-seven percent of GB male and seventy-three percent of LB female students have had suicidal thoughts (Kennedy). A survey conducted in Ontario revealed that forty-seven percent of transsexual youths have had suicidal thoughts, and that nineteen percent actually attempted suicide in the following year (Kennedy). These baffling statistics are consequences of mistreatment felt by the LGBTQ youth (Kennedy). The non-heterosexual youth have to deal with being physically and emotionally harassed, they are often not given the opportunity to feel parental-love and affection since their parents grew up with the hegemonistic belief that same-sex marriage is ideal and thus they do not accept their children who deviate from heteronormativity (Kennedy). Parents are often embarrassed by their child’s sexual orientation and attempt to “correct” them by either sending them to special church programs, or though
Did you know that the majority of the homeless youth identify as being a part of the LGBTQ2 community? (The Homeless Hub). It is no surprise that the LGBTQ2 youth are overrepresented in the homeless youth population, fourteen years ago it was estimated that approximately twenty-five to forty percent of the homeless youth identified as LGBTQ2, this number has since grown (The Homeless Hub). Additionally, the City of Toronto Street Needs Assessment confirmed that about twenty percent of the youth in shelters identify as LGBTQ2 which is unsurprisingly more than double the rate for all age groups (The Homeless Hub). The LGBTQ2’s homelessness is most likely due to homophobia from peers and most importantly, the parents of the youth (The Homeless Hub). It is sad to say that the children who run away from their homes in hopes of escaping discrimination end up being discriminated against in the shelter system as well (The Homeless Hub). Some shelters simply refuse to accept members of the LGBTQ2 community, which ultimately means that the LGBTQ2 community do not receive the same amount of respect, and social services as the heterosexual community which is ethically incorrect (The Homeless Hub). The minimal support for the homeless LGBTQ2 community needs to be addressed, governments should implement laws and programs that protect the homeless LGBTQ2 youth (The Homeless